It might not have been a traditional beauty pageant, but for organizers and competitors, it was a chance to marvel at genetic perfection.

"It's like a beauty pageant for cats," said Cindy Steadman, secretary of the Birmingham Feline Fanciers. Today, Steadman competed with a total of three cats, all Exotic Shorthairs. She's been competing with--and breeding--cats for about 11 years now.

It is her love of cats, said Steadman, along with the comradery that comes along with competition, which keep her coming back for more. Cats like Steadman's, along with 200 others, competed today in order to accumulate enough competition points to one day qualify them to continue on to regional and national competitions. Throughout the competition year, which runs between May 1 and April 30, competitors travel to various cat shows in order to earn more points. Steadman has taken an array of cats, many of which she has bred, to competitions in Tennessee, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina.

It's a goal shared by most of the day's competitors, said BFF Vice President Becki Vance. Vance, who's been involved with cat shows for almost 30 years, said she often sees the same competitors, sometimes even, with the same cats in tow.

The public, she said, gleefully joins in. Each year, the show attracts approximately 1,500 visitors over the course of the weekend. Feline aficionados line up to feast their eyes on the best-groomed whiskers in town, but also to load up on special, cat-related merchandise. Merchants line the perimeter of the space, selling everything from cat blankets and T-shirts to organic medicine and bedazzled collars.

One of the best aspects of the show, said Vance, is that several animal rescue groups show up with their own cats in tow each year. Animal rescue cats compete in the household pet category, but their reward might be more than just a ribbon. The hope, said Vance, is that those cats find suitable homes with adopting families.

Along with finding homes for adoptable pets, said Vance, the show helps benefit other cats--even those far away from the competition scene. Proceeds from all ticket sales, she said, benefit different feline charities, along with veterinary scholarships and cost-shared spay/neuter programs.